..Current guidelines of World Health Organization suggest that isoniazid (INH), the standard first-line chemoprophylaxis, be used for those exposed to MDR-TB...

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine--a health priority

Heather J ZarDepartment of Paediatric Pulmonology and School of Child and Adolescent Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children s Hospital and University of Cape TownS Afr Med J 98:463-7. 2008

..Widespread availability and vaccination with PCV is urgently needed for all children under 2 years of age in South Africa. In addition, the use of PCV for all HIV-infected children under 9 years should be prioritised...

..Greater efforts to obtain a microbiologic diagnosis should be made in children, even in primary care settings. Further research to develop a more accurate, cost-effective and simple diagnostic test for childhood TB is urgently needed...

A randomized controlled trial of intermittent compared with daily cotrimoxazole preventive therapy in HIV-infected children

Heather J ZarDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children s Hospital, University of Cape Town, South AfricaAIDS 24:2225-32. 2010

..We investigated the efficacy and tolerability of intermittent CPT compared with daily CPT in HIV-infected children over a 5-year period...

Pneumocystis pneumonia in South African children diagnosed by molecular methods

..The use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for pneumocystis has enabled more reliable diagnosis. This study describes the incidence, clinical features and outcome of PCP in South African children diagnosed using PCR...

Rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in African children in a primary care setting by use of Xpert MTB/RIF on respiratory specimens: a prospective study

..Childhood tuberculosis (TB) is common in high TB burden countries, contributing a substantial proportion to the TB caseload. The HIV epidemic has had a large impact on the incidence, diagnosis and management of childhood TB...

High incidence of antimicrobial resistant organisms including extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in nasopharyngeal and blood isolates of HIV-infected children from Cape Town, South

..4%) children, with no cases of fulminant hepatic failure. Severe hepatic events are uncommon in children on ART or isoniazid. There is no increased risk of hepatotoxicity with ART and concurrent isoniazid preventive therapy...

Xpert MTB/RIF testing of stool samples for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in children

Mark P NicolDivision of Medical Microbiology and Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, and National Health Laboratory Service of South Africa, South AfricaClin Infect Dis 57:e18-21. 2013

..Specific preventive interventions, including chemoprophylaxis for P. jiroveci pneumonia or for TB and early initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy, may significantly reduce the burden of pneumonia in HIV-infected children...

Comparison of in-hospital morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected and uninfected children after surgery

Detection of tuberculosis in HIV-infected children using an enzyme-linked immunospot assay

Mary Ann DaviesRed Cross Children s Hospital, School of Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaAIDS 23:961-9. 2009

..To evaluate an enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected children with suspected TB and to compare the performance of ELISPOT with the tuberculin skin test (TST)...

Prevalence and outcome of cytomegalovirus-associated pneumonia in relation to human immunodeficiency virus infection

..Symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic eczema in adolescents have increased over the past 7 yr in this geographical area. Allergic diseases are common in this group of adolescents and increasingly impair their quality of life...

Improved detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii in upper and lower respiratory tract specimens from children with suspected pneumocystis pneumonia using real-time PCR: a prospective study

Catherine M SamuelDivision of Medical Microbiology, University of Cape Town and National Health Laboratory Service, Cape Town, South AfricaBMC Infect Dis 11:329. 2011

..The main objectives of the study was (1) to compare the diagnostic yield of PCR with immunofluorescence (IF) and (2) to investigate the usefulness of upper compared to lower respiratory tract samples for diagnosing PCP in children...

Clinical and immunological correlates of chest X-ray abnormalities in HIV-infected South African children with limited access to anti-retroviral therapy

..HIV-infected children with pneumonia have higher serum IgE compared with seronegative patients. In HIV-positive children, IgE levels did not correlate with the degree of immunosuppression or with outcome...

..The aim of this study was to determine the role of HRV as a cause of acute wheezing in South African children...

Predictors of postoperative complications in HIV-infected children undergoing surgery

Jonathan Saul KarpelowskyDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Red Cross War Memorial Children s Hospital, School of Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town 7700, South AfricaJ Pediatr Surg 46:674-8. 2011

..An increasing number of HIV-infected children require a surgical procedure. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with the development of complications in HIV-infected children undergoing surgery...

Role of human metapneumovirus, human coronavirus NL63 and human bocavirus in infants and young children with acute wheezing

..Viruses are an important cause of wheezing in preschool children; hMPV, HCoV NL63, and HBoV are less common than the usual respiratory pathogens...

Childhood pneumonia--progress and challenges

Heather J ZarSchool of Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children s Hospital, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South AfricaS Afr Med J 96:890-900. 2006

..This article reviews changes in the epidemiology, management and prevention of childhood pneumonia in developing countries, specifically in Africa and South Africa, and addresses future challenges...

New specimens and laboratory diagnostics for childhood pulmonary TB: progress and prospects

Mark P NicolDivision of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town and National Health Laboratory Service of South AfricaPaediatr Respir Rev 12:16-21. 2011

..The recent development of an integrated specimen processing and real-time PCR testing platform for M. tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance is an important advance that requires evaluation in childhood TB...

Incorrect use of a homemade spacer for treatment of recurrent wheezing in children--a cause for concern

..DGGE and T-RFLP produced the highest diversity scores for DNA extracted using kit Z (H'=2.30 and 1.27) and kit QS (H'=2.16 and 0.94), which also extracted the highest DNA yields compared to the other kits assessed. ..

The impact of HIV infection and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole prophylaxis on bacterial isolates from children with community-acquired pneumonia in South Africa

..17 of 79 (22 per cent), p = 0.009]. The rising prevalence of HIV infection and the use of TMP-SMX prophylaxis may alter the spectrum of colonizing and pathogenic bacteria in children in developing countries...

Improvements in lung function of a pediatric cystic fibrosis population in a developing country

..To document the change in pulmonary function of a pediatric cystic fibrosis population managed at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, between January 1999 and December 2006...

Pneumonia in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children in developing countries: epidemiology, clinical features, and management

..Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) caused by Pneumocystis jiroveci is common in HIV-infected children, producing substantial morbidity and mortality. Initiation of timely, effective therapy depends on clinical identification of children with PCP...

..It is concluded that a modified 500-ml plastic bottle is an effective spacer; modification and use of this device should be incorporated into international guidelines for the management of children with asthma...

Global burden of pediatric respiratory illness and the implications for management and prevention